Undoubtedly one of the most important factors -- perhaps the most important factor -- in the development of the seafood processing industry over the last 20 years was the rise of China as a re-processor.
The ascent was rapid. In 1989, for example, U.S. firms shipped 124 metric tons of seafood to China, worth around $1.7 million (€1.3 million) according to official U.S. trade statistics. A good portion of that, incidentally, was unfit for human consumption.
Lured by China’s low-cost manufacturing, Western seafood companies began trusting Chinese processors with higher-value items such as crab, salmon and whitefish.
Just
